The Tale of Sinuhe: and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems 1940-1640 B.C.

While the styles, structures, techniques, and subjects of the previous 13 pieces seem largely representative of a coherent and shared literary style and philosophical worldview, the phrases and fragments hint at a larger corpus of literary compositions and oral literature. These fragments both underline the cultural concerns of these works and also hint at a broader cultural imagination that did indeed have room for magic, love and passion, and occasionally humor. These fragments gesture toward an impressively lively literary corpus circulating in the Middle Kingdom, reminding us not only of how astonishing it is that so much has survived for so many thousands of years, but also holding out hope that there is yet more to be discovered.